Random Picture Thread

[corkybstewart]

We pass through the National Wildlife Refuge near Monte Vista Colorado on our way to town. That Refuge hosts huge flocks of Sandhill cranes during migration. They are usually here October into November then return February into March. Do they winter over near you?

I've seen a few here and there over the years but nothing like this. They are in a recently harvested cornfield, so maybe they are just beefing up before heading south. If they weren't 60 miles away I'd go back next week and see if they are still there. Our corner of NM is a migratory path for lots of bird species, far more than where we lived on the other side of the state.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Mmmmmh, meatballs...

 

[balrog]

 

[DBhomebrew]

Downright balmy, eh @Erik the Anglophile?

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

That's T-shirt weather

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

We work mostly outside even during winter, and you know you have been acclimated to the cold when you after a period of a few weeks of ~-25c weather get a period of "only" -10c and think that's a comfortable temp and almost get annoyed because you work up to much heat while doing stuff...

 

[GrogNerd]

after the winter I first learned the phrase "too cold to snow" I was drinking beer on the porch wearing t-shirts & shorts when it WARMED UP TO 14°F/-10°C

Plymouth, MN

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

It's pretty amazing how fast you adapt, the first cold snap you just want to give up, curl up in a corner and die.
But then after a day or two you just accept it and realise that if you just keep moving it's you'll be fine.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Oh, yes. I may be soft now having spent much of my 30s in Phoenix, but in my 20s I lived a bit south of Montreal. Weeks of below-0 highs and 'too cold to snow' were very much the norm. Didn't get in the way of us going outside.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I think I have some pics from last winter when we barbecued in ~-35c...

 

[nobadays]

Yet here we sit at 9,500' in the Southern Colorado Rockies, just up from the San Luis valley where Alamosa holds the state's record for coldest temperature. Denver right now is ~ -6F and we are at 16F ! Alamosa is 9F! The arctic air mass swept down from the NW but didn't dip this far south.

 

[beermanpete]

At O'hare now hoping my flight is ok.

 

[Broken Crow]

I was at O'Hare 30 years and one month ago (for my honeymoon/Dr.Who convention after getting married in a coffee shop...oops!) The weather was shiite much like this.... met quite a few folk stuck in it. Hope you're not stuck too long, but if you are, try ordering a stuffed pizza from Edwardo's Natural Pizza ... One of the best things Chicago has to offer.

Edit: Oops!! Brain damage .. it was '89 or '90... I never realized till now that memory is gone.

 

[GrogNerd]

13 years ago, we were stuck in 78° LAS VEGAS for an extra 2 days, while 3 feet of snow dumped on DC

 

[GrogNerd]

This year's loot includes the traditional bottle opener present

making the count 26 openers in just the office.

Not including the ones in the kitchen & brew lab

 

[GrogNerd]

update: 11 openers in the kitchen.
5 on the fridge, 6 in the drawers

 

[govner1]

I just throw them in drawers and I’ve lost count. Since I keg and my daughter is a pro brewer. Plenty of samples in cans!
We did break out an opener for a barrel aged porter Christmas afternoon!

 

[bleme]

I always thought it was funny that after a long cold snap, you would see UAF students wearing shorts to class as soon as it got up to zero.

 

[grampamark]

The bread aisle at the local (well, 25 miles away is “local” in this part of the world) Albertson’s today. C’mon, people. It’s just a little snow and freezing rain. It’s not like a hurricane is coming.

 

[Brewsmith]

Belated Christmas gifts. I made my wife sized rolling pins. 1/4” and 3/8”

 

[Brewsmith]

Oops

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Found 2 pics from last summers trek, the day after when we traversed a pass at the end of the valley in the pics a 2 day storm rolled in.
So we walked the highest part of our route in 3-4C, pouring rain, near storm strenght gusts and over normally foot-high fords that were now thigh-high...

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

This was one of the kinder fordings...

 

[day_trippr]

Yup

 

[balrog]

 

[Brooothru]

View attachment 809070

Yup

 

[balrog]

View attachment 809070

Yup

I’ve got a tufted tit-mouse that is slowly drilling holes in my gutters. For some reason. At 5 am. Hella-annoying.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Bearded tit... well must be from the south.

 

[day_trippr]

We have tufted tits by the dozen right now, they always show up for winter.
As with most avian species I expect drumming is a mating ritual, a birdie "CQ"...

Cheers!

 

[pvtpublic]

I love spotting the two-dee tits, they are just so magnificent!

 

[grampamark]

 

[balrog]

 

[GrogNerd]

their PPE is woefully inadequate for the task

View attachment 809204

 

[balrog]

 

[grampamark]

 

[Sailingeric]

View attachment 809328

Watching This Old Tony on the YouTube's makes me appreciate the skill that goes into welding...and he is not even that great of a welder, but he makes it funny and educational

 

[day_trippr]

This morning The Spousal Unit called me down to the laundry room because her 50+ year old washing machine was making weird noises instead of going through the spin-dry cycle. She was right, something was seriously amiss. Big sigh as it's so tight in the laundry room I have to completely remove the drier first to get the washer out to my shop to tear down. Big pita, but I got it done and have parts all over the shop now.

I figured it had blown the transmission - and I actually have a spare transmission for this machine (long story), you can see two trannies on the bench as I was preparing to transfer parts from old to new. But when I split the motor and trans apart, I discovered what had broken: one of the spiders for the flexible coupler between the motor and transmission blew out (see the radial crack) and the motor shaft was just spinning inside the broken spider.

A whole new coupler costs just $8 delivered by Amazon this Thursday, as opposed to spending $1400~2000 to replace the two machines. Not a difficult decision for me

Cheers!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

This morning The Spousal Unit called me down to the laundry room because her 50+ year old washing machine was making weird noises instead of going through the spin-dry cycle. She was right, something was seriously amiss. Big sigh as it's so tight in the laundry room I have to completely remove the drier first to get the washer out to my shop to tear down. Big pita, but I got it done and have parts all over the shop now.

View attachment 809375

I figured it had blown the transmission - and I actually have a spare transmission for this machine (long story), you can see two trannies on the bench as I was preparing to transfer parts from old to new. But when I split the motor and trans apart, I discovered what had broken: one of the spiders for the flexible coupler between the motor and transmission blew out (see the radial crack) and the motor shaft was just spinning inside the broken spider.

View attachment 809377

A whole new coupler costs just $8 delivered by Amazon this Thursday, as opposed to spending $1400~2000 to replace the two machines. Not a difficult decision for me

Cheers!

You’re a keeper!

 

[day_trippr]

So She tells me

We bought those machines in 1973 when we were renting an apartment near Boston. Brought them to our first house in Stow and on to our current home. They did not make it this far without prior intervention. Over the many decades I replaced the motor, belt, idler pulleys and gas valve on the drier, and the water valves, clockwork motor, and drive sleeve on the washer. Not that many failures, really, considering how long we've had them.

They're not hard to work on and parts are still easy to come by, so I'm disinclined to spend the big $$ to replace them. If this fix holds they may outlive me

Cheers!

 

[pvtpublic]

Thats a shop alright, I don't see a single 10mm socket!